Unlike years past, this holiday season presents the gift
buyer with a real choice of sizes, prices and capabilities.

Not that the iPad itself is any less desirable. The latest
edition of the iconic 9.7-inch tablet ($499-$829) features
Apple’s gorgeous Retina display and the new, smaller Lightning
connector introduced on the iPhone 5. In addition, models with
cellular connections run over the ultrafast 4G LTE networks.

Plus, of course, there’s the new, 7.9-inch iPad mini. The
screen isn’t as nice as big brother’s, but it’s incredibly thin
(barely a quarter of an inch) and light (11 ounces), and has
access to the iPad’s 275,000 applications and huge collection of
movies, music and other content.

And at prices ranging from $329 for a Wi-Fi-only model with
16 gigabytes of storage to $659 with LTE and 64 gigabytes, it’s
also the most affordable iPad.

Meanwhile, after two years of struggling to establish
Android tablets as direct competition for the big iPad, Google
this year tried a different, and more successful, tack. Working
with Asus, it launched the compact Nexus 7.

Limited Selection

Starting at $199, the Wi-Fi-only Nexus 7 features a bright,
seven-inch display and swift performance. Newly upgraded to 16
gigabytes of storage, its big drawback is the limited selection
of content in some of the Google Play online stores.

Lack of content isn’t anything that afflicts Amazon.com’s
seven-inch Kindle Fire HD, which also starts at $199. Indeed, it
functions best as a gateway to Amazon’s enormous stock of e-books, videos and music.

It’s heavier and slower than the Nexus 7, and although it
runs a version of Android, it doesn’t have access to the vast
universe of Android apps. But if you’ve got a confirmed Amazon-lover on your list -- especially one who already belongs to
Amazon Prime and can take advantage of features like the Kindle
Lending Library -- this may be the tablet that warms her heart.

An alternative is Barnes & Noble’s new Nook HD. It lacks
some of the Kindle’s extras, like a front-facing camera. But
it’s got a better screen and no ads -- unlike the Kindle, where
you have to pay an extra $15 to escape what it euphemistically
calls “special offers.”

Going Big

Amazon and B&N have also introduced bigger, 9-inch models -
-$269 for the Nook, $299 for the Kindle ($499 with a discounted
LTE plan from AT&T). While they’re positioning themselves mostly
against the full-sized iPad, they also face competition from a
legion of devices running off-the-shelf versions of Android.

Flush from its Nexus 7 success, Google has launched the
Nexus 10, a Samsung-manufactured 10.1-inch tablet with a truly
iPad-worthy screen and a starting price, $399, that’s $100
cheaper than the comparable Apple device.

The Nexus 10’s big drawback is a lack of apps designed
specifically to take advantage of its size and capabilities.
Blown-up smartphone apps are annoying enough on the Nexus 7;
here, they can be downright exasperating.

The market is also full of Android tablets from
manufacturers including Samsung, Asus and the now-Google-owned
Motorola. While many are largely interchangeable, Sony’s Xperia
Tablet S ($400-$600) sets itself apart.

Toned Down

Last year’s version of the Xperia had an eccentric teardrop
shape, cheap construction, poorly placed controls and connectors
and sluggish performance. This year, the design has been toned
down, controls are more user-friendly and a new processor from
Nvidia helps move things along.

It also includes a passel of special Sony apps, some really
good -- like the one that turns it into a super-duper universal
TV remote -- and others not so much.

You could probably start an argument about whether the
Microsoft Surface ($499-$699) even belongs in a roundup about
tablets. Yes, it weighs about the same as an iPad, has a touch
screen and runs apps under a colorful new operating system
called Windows RT.

But underneath all that beats the heart of a Windows
personal computer, especially when you add its optional, $130
Type Cover keyboard and use its built-in versions of Microsoft
Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Maybe it’s best thought of as a
stripped-down PC with extra tablet features thrown in.

Humble E-Reader

Finally, while multifunction color tablets get all the
attention these days, there’s still a place for the humble
monochrome e-reader among, well, readers. The class of the field
here is Amazon’s new Kindle Paperwhite ($119-$199), which uses a
built-in light, improved contrast and higher resolution to
create a more book-like experience, even in a dark room.

The Kindle Paperwhite gives you access to the best
selection of e-books, extras like the Lending Library for Prime
members and eight weeks of battery life between charges. Splurge
for the $179 ($199 without ads) model, with its free lifetime 3G
service, and your recipients will silently thank you every time
they’re stuck on an airport tarmac.

(Rich Jaroslovsky is a Bloomberg News columnist. The
opinions expressed are his own.)

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